The anti-inflammatory properties of water-extracts of rose-hips have previously been reported (Winther, Rein, and Kharazmi, Inflammopharmacology, Vol. 7, pp 63–68 (1999)). Extracts of rose-hips are also known to inhibit chemotaxis and chemiluminescence of human peripheral blood neutrophils in vitro and to reduce certain inflammatory parameters in vivo (Kharazmi and Winther, Inflammopharmacology, Vol.7, pp 377–386 (1999)).
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,960, a rose-hip concentrate having a high content of vitamin C was found to alleviate the symptoms associated with inflammation. Specifically, the concentrate was obtained in accordance with a process that preserved a relatively high vitamin C content as well as the content of a number of other vitamins. In the applicants' related U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/694,764, filed on Oct. 23, 2000, the oral administration of a combination of a rose-hip concentrate and fish oil is described as being useful in the alleviation of joint pain and stiffness, particularly in relation to arthritis. However, the quantity of rose-hip concentrate described in each of these applications as being useful to obtain a beneficial effect was relatively high and somewhat inconvenient for daily usage.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,620,962 and 5,767,095, monogalactosyl dieicosapentaenoyl glycerol (MGDG-EPA) obtained from marine algae was described as having anti-inflammatory properties when used in a topical formulation. These patents describe that only galactosyl glycerols esterified with at least one eicosapentaenoic acids moiety possess topical anti-inflammatory properties.
β-D-Galactopyranosylglycerols esterified with a 1:10:10 mixture of myristic, palmitic and palmotoleic acid were claimed modestly to inhibit superoxide radical formation (Kikuchl, H., Tsukitani, Y., Shimizu, I., Kobayashi, M., Kitagawa, I: Chem. Pharm. Bull. Vol. 31 pp 552–556 (1983)), but no further investigations of the anti-inflammatory properties of this mixture of compounds and of the potential medical uses have been performed.